Wayne Bennett speaks glowingly about the veterans in his Newcastle Knights squad

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FOR a bloke who says he doesn't read newspapers, Wayne Bennett sure has a good knowledge about what gets printed about his Newcastle Knights.

The super coach was in tremendous spirits yesterday when we called about a story we published back in June taking the mickey out of his ageing roster.

“Oldcastle”, we labelled them, "the NRL’s new retirement village".

Bennett laughed in the countdown to Saturday’s elimination final against Melbourne: "Tell them I’m revving up the wheelchair.

"You want to know something? That week, it all changed for us.

“I keep referring to it. That’s when it all turned around. The players started to get some confidence and belief.

“We played Melbourne in Melbourne and they beat us 16-14. Sometimes you win when you lose. And I made a point of telling them that afterwards because it felt like a win.

Beau ScottSource:DailyTelegraph

“We did everything a winning team would normally do. They didn’t win on the night but they realised what you’ve got to give to be a top team.

“And since then they’ve been doing that consistently."

Bennett has coached some wonderful teams over the years but if he can make magic with this group of old-timers and misfits then it just might end up ranking among his greatest achievements.

Nine players over 30, several more who were unwanted at rival clubs. No Kurt Gidley and Kade Snowden’s suspended.

But Bennett has great confidence in this squad and as he talks through them you sense his pride. You start with Danny Buderus.

"I’m just so pleased for Danny that he has got to finish his career the way he should have," Bennett said.

"That was a great tragedy (when Newcastle told him to go).

"I just can’t believe it. I don’t know who all the guilty parties were but it goes down as one of the worst decisions ever."

He talks about Beau Scott and Jeremy Smith in the same vein.

He brought them to the club because he was sick of watching the Newcastle forwards get pushed around.

"Absolutely, I don’t deny that," he said. "But we turned some things around. Everyone wants to play with them. That is the greatest recognition you can get as a player, when your teammates want to play with you.

"They have missed a lot of football this year, the pair of them.

Danny BuderusSource:DailyTelegraph

"Jeremy with suspension and injury has missed about 10 weeks and Beau has probably missed about 15."

But they are playing now, and that’s all that matters to Bennett.

"It `s the rub-off affect," he explained.

"On Alex McKinnon, Robbie Rochow, they rub-off on Willie. You know, they are not frightened to say pull your socks up, which is really important in teams.

"They wouldn’t do it in an offensive way, they all respect one another enormously, but if you are not on they are going to tell you."

What about Jarrod Mullen?

Willie MasonSource:DailyTelegraph

Long regarded as one of the game’s great under achievers, now he’d have to be favourite for this year’s Dally M Medal.

"He has grown an arm and a leg," Bennett said. "He probably hasn’t played with a forward pack like this before.

"If you are a halfback or five-eighth and you haven’t got a good forward pack it is very difficult for you. It doesn’t matter what code you play, league or union, forwards are everything."

Speaking of big fellas, Willie?

When Mason arrived back in the country last year no other club would touch him with a 10-foot pole.

Now he’s like rugby league royalty in Newcastle.

“Look, Willie was made for here," Bennett said.

“We were in dire straits last year before we got him. We needed a personality in the place. Not someone that mouths off and says stupid things, he doesn’t do that. He is articulate, he’s a smart guy."

And funny.

Bennett cracks up when you mention how Mason walked past Canterbury’s James Graham and squirted water in the Englishman’s face last Sunday.

Then he tells you about a game in New Zealand last year when Willie had his fun with a young Warrior playing his first game of NRL.

And up in Brisbane in round 25 when Gidley broke down and was stretchered off with a season-ending ankle injury.

“Some fan jumped up and said he’s only dogging it," Bennett said.

“And Willie turned around and give it to him. So Willie’s into the fan and the fan’s back into Willie and everyone is loving it.

"Anyway, then everyone realised that Kurt was seriously injured and so the whole crowd turned on the bloke and they were all cheering for Willie.

“I’m telling you, it’s endless entertainment.

“All the players tell me 20 minutes on the bench with Willie is the funniest 20 minutes of your life.

“He’s into the crowd, the crowd are into him. He has been wonderful value for us.

“And you know, you can talk about all these little issues but the bottom line is you’ve got to play football.

“He has done a great job for us and forget about all the other stuff, he is in the team for how he plays.”

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